1) Field
Embodiments of the present invention pertain to the field of thin-film batteries and, in particular, to methods of and factories for thin-film battery manufacturing.
2) Description of Related Art
Current state of the art thin-film battery manufacturing plans are typically based on scaling of conventional technologies by (1) using shadow masks for patterning technologies and (2) the implementation of single step patterning based integration schemes. Complexity issues with such an approach can be significant. For example, deposition chambers or tools are typically fitted with glove boxes with specific atmospheric conditions designed to manage and protect material layers in thin-film batteries, material layers that are sensitive to normal ambient, and to protect deposition laden masks. The use of glove boxes can be cumbersome operationally and can add significant cost to the process, both in terms of capital and operating expenses, as well as potential impact to yield. In addition, the shadow mask based patterning can add other deleterious issues, for examples, alignment accuracies and potential defect induced yield impacts, as well as the cost of ownership increases due to extra components and frequent mask regeneration process for accuracy in pattern transfer and defect reduction.
To date, no complete factory for thin-film battery manufacturing has been assembled, although certain components based on conventional technologies have been disclosed. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a conventional equipment arrangement for manufacturing thin-film batteries. Referring to FIG. 1, a deposition tool 100 suitable for thin-film battery manufacture is equipped with a glove box 102. For example, glove box 102 is typically included with a deposition tool 100 associated with a sputtering process. Although not depicted, additional glove boxes are often required for use with a lithium chamber or other chambers or processing tools used subsequent to, e.g., air-sensitive layer deposition processes.